“Queen of
the Mispillion.”Penny Nelson in 1952 became an official
crew member of USS Mispillion AO-105Penny met Chris Munson, son
of MISPILLION's Commander Capt. Henry G. MunsonPenny was not able to run
and play with with other children because she had polio.A 1952 dockside photo

“Mrs. Nelson, your daughter definitely
has polio. Her fevers are so high
that if she lives, we believe she will have brain damage. At this
time, she’s
completely paralyzed. You can see her now, if you’re ready.” Page 57
I
got a phone call telling me that there’s a naval ship named the
Mispillion whose
homeport is right here in Long Beach. The caller said the families of
the men
serving on the ship were a ‘support crew.’ The support crew finds a
community
project for the sailors and their families to sponsor. When the
captain’s wife
was looking for someone to help, she was told about Penny having polio,
that her husband was missing in action in Korea, and they want to help
us. Can you
believe
it?” Page 74

click image

Little Penny came aboard the Mispillion to greet her “big
brothers.” Miss Penny, after receiving a salute worthy of her station,
was
taken on a tour of the ship so she could see where the men ate, slept
and
worked. Earlier this year the men of the Mispillion joined the “March
of
Dimes” campaign, and, in the name of Miss Penny Nelson,
con­tributed over $1,650.00 to the Long Beach
Branch of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Page 86

The
ship's crew is what gave her the courage to fight her illness, all her
life. Penny's
story is told in the book shown left.

My
name is Mrs. Donovan, and I’m your kindergarten teacher. ”Class
started, and Mrs. Donovan said, “Stand up and put your right hand over
your
heart. We’re going to say the pledge of allegiance.

“I
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to
the
republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with
liberty
and justice for all.”

My eyes
stung with
tears, but this time they were tears of joy. I thought about my friends
on the Mispillion
and my daddy and all of his friends that were so kind to me. I thought
how lucky I was to be at school and not in the hospital. Page 94

Chris
Munson, son of 1952 ship commander, Capt. Henry G.
Munson, was aware of the
Mispillion Reunions. He worked hard to locate Penny and for the 2006
reunion he, she and the crew were reunited in Baton Rouge, LA.

Fun looking at
those images of our ship. I was 5
years old. The ship had a unique smell and sound and I remember her
very well.
I also remember what happened when Penny grabbed the mic and asked us
'to go
win the war and bring her Daddy home'. A lot of eyes got wet.Chris 5-18-2011

March 14,
2006, I received a phone call from Quantico, Virginia. Chris had made it his determined
purpose to find me for the reunion of the crew of
the USS Mispillion to be held in October of that year. It seems that
they had been looking for their queen for years without success, so
Chris was
assigned the daunting task of finding me. “Penny,
I’m telling you I found a parking place right in front of the White
House; this
is impossible. I’m finding everything I’m looking for lately.” He
laughed. “You
won’t believe this, but Air Force One just flew over me.” Page 327

“Penny
Robichaux is a remarkable and amazing woman, overcoming the ravages of
polio and becoming a strong and loving mentor and mother to so many
hurting children. Her book is an account of her journey and will bless
you as you read it.”